KUZHI PANIYARAM RECIPE

Crispy Chettinad Kuzhi Paniyaram in Tamil style. Making my own batter from scratch.

The delicious crispy crunchy Kuzhi Paniyaram is a renowned dish in Tamil Nadu. Many people enjoy it. It is manufactured in a specific mould known as a paniyarakkal. The dish’s shape is comparable to that of Japanese Takoyaki, Danish bleskiver-appleskives, and Indonesian Pinyaram. Paniyaram can be made either sweet or savory. A tempering is applied to the idli/dosa batter in this savory variation. I like to use idli batter for this dish, and you can find the idli batter recipe here.

Here’s how to perform Kuzhi Paniyaram. Soak Sago (“Tapioca Sago – Sabudana” is known as (javvarisi) in Tamil) in 1/2 cup water for 30 minutes. To make a paste, grind all of the ingredients together. While grinding, do not add any additional water. The water used for soaking should be sufficient. Place aside. The sago gives the Kuzhi Paniyaram a crispy and crunchy texture.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds when the oil is heated. Allow it to sputter. Stir in the shallots and green chilies. Shallots are a typical ingredient in Kuzhi Paniyaram. But I used onions instead of shallots today because I didn’t have any.

Cook until the onions are tender. When the onions have softened, add the coconut. Fry for about a minute. Turn off the heat. To the dosa batter, add the onion coconut mixture and the sago paste. I don’t add any additional salt because the idli batter already contains salt. If you think you might need salt, add only a little to the batter. Mix the batter thoroughly. Place aside.

Preheat the paniyaram pan / paniyarakkal. Fill each mould with 3/4 teaspoon vegetable oil. Drop the batter into the mould to fill it. Cook for a minute at a time. Then flip it over and cook on the other side. If required, turn the paniyaram again to ensure that it is equally cooked on both sides and is a good golden color.

When the paniyaram is crispy and golden on all sides, it is done.

Kuzhi paniyaram goes well with a spicy kaara chutney or poondu kuzhambu.